COLTS` WISHBONE FORMATION KEEPS OPPONENTS GUESSING

Don PiersonCHICAGO TRIBUNE

The wishbone formation used by the Indianapolis Colts is more than a gimmick. Consider it protection against injury, which is better than wishful thinking.

When Colts coach Ron Meyer inserted cornerback Willie Tullis for one play as the wishbone quarterback during the Colts` 55-23 annihilation of Denver Monday, it wasn`t done entirely in the spirit of fun.

''Tullis has been (psyched) up to go in and play that position and I wanted to give him a little experience,'' Meyer said.

When the Colts ran it for a few plays two Sundays ago against San Diego and more often against the Broncos, Gary Hogeboom was the quarterback, replacing starter Chris Chandler.

Hogeboom is not a wishbone quarterback, so Colts General Manager Jim Irsay said earlier this week he is considering signing a genuine wishbone quarterback as the third man.

With premier running back Eric Dickerson, the Colts are better equipped than most other teams to merely hand off in case of quarterback injuries. But the wishbone provides more than ''an auxiliary offense,'' as Meyer calls it.

''It gives the defense a different look,'' Dickerson said. ''It really confused the Broncos. I know it confused San Diego last week. It`s something we`ll keep in the rest of the year.''

In the wishbone, Dickerson and Albert Bentley play halfback, flanking fullback George Wonsley. The quarterback runs an option along the line, handing off to the fullback, keeping himself or pitching to the trailing back. Although popular at some colleges, it is ignored by the pros for several reasons: It limits the passing game, reduces the field, puts valuable quarterbacks too close to linebackers and ordinarily fails miserably against defenses better than those of the shabby Broncos or Chargers.

With Dickerson, any formation is effective, but the wishbone has another advantage.

''It`s to hurt the eight-man front,'' Dickerson said.

Defenses stack men to stop Dickerson regardless of how the Colts try to spread their formations, so the Colts might as well meet tacklers with more blockers. Dickerson himself was used mostly as a blocker in the wishbone, which the Colts employed mostly in short yardage.

Only one of Dickerson`s four touchdowns, a one-yarder, was scored out of the wishbone. Hogeboom`s 53-yard touchdown pass to Billy Brooks also was out of the wishbone, demonstrating that it does not preclude passing.

''I talked to Darrell Royal (former University of Texas coach) on Monday and told him to look in,'' Meyer said.